TWO men who left women across the West Midlands in fear of being snatched from streets are now behind bars.

Jason O'Connor and Nathan Hamilton were jailed for their month-long reign of terror this summer in Handsworth, Great Barr, Perry Barr and Wolverhampton.

O'Connor and Hamilton, together with a third man, Jobari Blake, kidnapped five lone women from their cars and drove them to cash machines to raid their accounts.

Crack addict O'Connor (31) of Mosborough Garden, Newtown, Birmingham and Hamilton (24) of Shakespeare Street, Sparkhill, Birmingham, were given ten-year sentences after both pleading guilty to five kidnaps and five robberies.

Blake (27) of Collymore Avenue, Bromford, pleaded guilty to the same offences and will be sentenced later.

One victim, Jenny Munroe, said: "Birmingham can now breathe a sigh of relief that these degenerates are off the streets."

She spoke after the Judge, Mr Recorder Benjamin Nicholls, told the pair: "You pursued these crimes with professionalism and determination.

"Mercifully the physical injuries were not the most serious, but the emotional and physical distress your victims must have suffered is incalculable."

Ms Shenaz Muzzafer, prosecuting, told Birmingham Crown Court the gang struck on five separate occasions in May and June.

They preyed on lone women, lying in wait for them and pouncing as they got into their cars before driving off with them.

O'Connor bundled the frightened victims into the back and forced them to hand over bank cards and PINs. Hamilton used the information to raid their accounts.

Gary Cook, defending, said O'Connor, whose partner had recently given birth, had a costly crack addiction.

He said O'Connor had expressed remorse and regret for what he had done to the women.

Hamilton, whose wife is expecting their third child, asked for seven other offences to be taken into consideration. He was described as a "follower rather than a leader".

Mirza Rashid, defending him, said: "He has problems comprehending the consequences of his actions. He is not the sort of person who carries that sort of criminal gene in him as compared to the others."